Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-08-04
JESUS IN GALILEE.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. r.
S. M'ARTHUR, D. D.

Lesson VI of the international Series
Third Quarterl for Sunday, Aug. :.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. iv, I7-25;
Golden Text, Matt. iv, I6.
V. II. Jesus as a Preacher.-From that
time, /. e., from the time Of his coming into
Galilee; the time mentioned in verse II, when
Johns imprisonment took place and his
ministry came to an end. Christ had visited
Galilee before and remained for a time at
Capernaum. During the former visit Jesus
had preached, and many disciples were made
and baptized John iv, u, but now his
preaching was public and frequent. He
preached upon the same subject as John the
Baptist had dwelt upon.
Repent; for the kingdom Of heaven is at
hand--The substance of the Gospel is really
the same under all dispensations. Christ
was preacher. We have not made enough
Of that feature Of his work As preacher
be began and as q preacher he closed his
ministry. John, Jesus and Paul preached
the same Gospel at different stages Of its
development. There is but one Gospel
VS.. Is, 19.-Jesus calling two Of his dis
ClpteS 70 Dc us CONSTANT aIIeQQanr2. In0
Church of Christ could not be fully organ
lied until after his atoning death and trium-
plant ascension and the descent Of the Spirit:
but Christ was now preparing for this subse-
quent organization by calling and training
those who should under his guidance be its
hrst great teachers. Walking by the Sea
Certainly in the performance Of his duty as
q preacher, and not aimlessly walking by the
Tha q. %
through which the Jordan flows with an Oh
servable current for considerable distance
1t is also called Gernesaret, from a plain or
district on the western shore It was also
called the Sea of Tiberies Called Peter
This expression distinguishes the Simon from
others of the same name. The name Peter
had its origin in the words of Christ when
he first met Simon. He was brought to
him by his brother Andrew John i, AZ.
At that time the name Cephas, which
is the Aramaic for the Greek petros,
meaning a rock, or more strictly part of a
rock, a stone, was given him Perhaps the
name was bestowed partly because Of the bold
ness and frmness which he afterwards should
manifest, and partly also as he was the first
stone in the apostolic foundation which Christ
was to lay, and on which the Church was
sfterward to be built Andrew is Greek
name. Jews often adopted, as we have occa-
sion frequently to see in the gospels, Gentle
names Whether he or Peter was the older it
is impossible for rs to say. Casting net; .
casting net. This form of expression originally
distinguished this net from the large hauling
net or drag net, to which reference is made
in Matt. Xiii, AZ. For they were fishers.-
This was their regular occupation, and not
simply the work in which they were at this
time engaged. This statement does not
necessarily imply that they were poor or
ignorant Some Of them we know were not
poor; all of them we know were Intelligent
although they did not have the learning of
the schools. Men who could speak and write
in more than one language were not ilHterate,
as the word is generally understood.
Hitherl Behind me.-This language was
true literally as well as hguratively and NOR
ally. Their place was behind, not before, the
Master. They had already owned Christ as
the Messiah, but had not until now abandoned
their calling as fishermen. / will make you.
Christ alone possesses the authority to call
and the ability to prepare men for his service
Formerly they provided for the support of
mems bodies; now they were to care for
mems souls Their present employment, con-
sidered even in its details, admirably Illus
trates the methods to be employed and the
results to be secured in their future work
Y. 20. Prompt obedience. The call ac-
cording to this account seems abrupt As
already intimated, however, Luke gives what
preceded it, showing it to oe natural and ap-
propriate They were divinsly moved to
prompt obedience. Gods call ought to be
heard before the voice of man Nothing
must come between our souls and obedience
to our Lord Left nets.-This implies that
the nets were their own. They left them for
ever.
VS.. 81, D. Two others called The calling
of the second pair of brothers is now brought
to our notice Probably Jesus was now at
tended by Simon and Andrew, who had al
ready become his attendanta James, son Of
Zebedee-James, or Jacob, was q common
name among the Jews, as the name Of their
great father Jacob. John his brother.-Tt Is
generally believed that John was the other
disciple of John the Baptist, who with An
drew followed Jesus John i, S5-S1. This
pair of brothers also was either actually en-
gagged in their daily toll or preparing for it
when Jesus called them to higher service.
V. g. Jesus as teacher, preacher and
healer. He now makes his first circuit Of
Galilee. The events narrated In the first
Johns gospel chiefly in Jerusalem and Judea.
His ministry now became more systematic,
covering all Galilee, and 1t has three special
MISUNDERSTANDING, preaching and heal
ipr. Teaching-Imparting knowledge Of re-
Hgious truth, the knowledge Of the way Of
salvation. He would be regarded by many
simply as Jewish rabbi Of great learning
and aptness TO teach. This was shown IN
heir synagogues. Perhaps synagogues were
firssintroduced during the Babylonish cap
tivity. Then the people had lost their usual
places Of worship. Tradition, however, dates
their origin at q much earlier period In
Christ's time synagogues abounded' In Jeru-
salem it is said that there were $50. Preach
ing the gospel; announcing, proclainling the
glad news-not only to the audiences that
met in the synagogue, but to men and women
wherever he met them, singly or in groups.
OF the kingdom; that Is, Of the Messiah's
reign-the new dispensation just introduced.
Healing-This word, as DR.. Alexander sug-
gests, originally meant serving or attending,
and, as the result of such attendance, heal
ing. All manner; that is, diseases Of every
kind.
V. "a. As the result Of his work in these
three directions his fame went throughout
all Syria. His reputation went beyond
Galilee and even beyond Israel, and extended
even throughout the regions denoted by the
general term Syria His widely extended
fame brought great number Of sufferers to
him for help Divers.-Originally parti-
colored, but used to mean various kinds OF
anything to which it is applied. TormsntS-
Originally a touchstone for the trial Of met
ais and then used for trial by torture It
thus came to mean extreme pain, whatever